VANCOUVER, Wash. – A homeowner shot and killed an intruder Saturday after the man ripped down a fence, went through an unsecured door, and burst through a locked bedroom door, deputies said.
The intruder, 42-year-old Christopher Billings of Kansas City, Missouri, broke into a house near the 3700 block of Northeast 54th Avenue shortly after 2 a.m., said Sgt. Kevin Allais with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities said the family dog barked and alerted the homeowners that an intruder was in their house.
The family locked themselves in the bedroom and the husband armed himself with a handgun. Billings then burst through the locked bedroom door and the homeowner fired his gun twice while on the phone with police, Allais said
Just before the break in, a Washington State Patrol Trooper was processing a suspected DUI driver half a block from the house, Allais said.
The trooper saw a man stumbling down the sidewalk mumbling incoherently. While troopers were looking for the man, they got a 911 call from the homeowner that the intruder was in his house, Allais said.
The mumbling man police were looking for may have been Billings because he matched their description.
The homeowner did not know Billings, police said.
KGW reporter Erica Heartquist contributed to this report.
Read what some of our students have to say about our classes:
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Posted by Elise on 8th Jun 2012
I had a great day learning about personal protection. The time passed very quickly & I feel more confident handling a handgun. It was fun to shoot many different types of .22. The instructors were informative & encouraging. Sign me up for a part II of this course!
THANKS for the great Class
Posted by Patti on 27th Aug 2012
Thanks for the great class on Sat. The class gave me the confidence to move on and learn much more. It was a good class in that you started out with personal safey, which we all know but become lazy – trusting. I am hopeful that I can become both confident and skilled with a gun through patience and practice.
Excellent class!
Posted by Unknown on 30th Jul 2012
Really enjoyed the awareness training portion of the class. This is information that everyone could benefit from. The gun handling portion was safe, and fun.
Thank you!
Posted by Unknown on 30th Jul 2012
Thank you for your time and showing me the safety of shooting and holding a gun and keeping myself safe.
Really good class.
Posted by Unknown on 30th Jul 2012
The student handbook and package were very informative. Everyone was given an opportunity to ask questions, and have them answered. I would definitely recommend this class.
Well worth the time.
Posted by Unknown on 30th Jul 2012
It may seem like a long day but the time taken is worth it. Slow, consistent, allowing hands on lessons. Great safety instructions. I would recommend this class to friends and family.
Safety was first and foremost during the class.
Posted by Unknown on 30th Jul 2012
The curriculum was informative and easy to understand. The instructor’s conduct was professional and helpful. The classroom environment was comfortable and I really enjoyed the all female attendees. I really enjoyed the shooting and would recommend this class to anyone interested in learning about handguns.
I would recommend this class.
Posted by Unknown on 30th Jul 2012
The dry fire practice was very informative, and it helped a lot when we went to the range to actually shoot the guns. The material was easy to understand. I am ready for the next class!
Great class!
Posted by Unknown on 30th Jul 2012
The hands on training before actual shooting really helped prepare me for the live fire on the range.
Exceeded expectations
Posted by PBM on 30th Jul 2012
Presentation was excellent in detail and allowing questions. The attention by instructors was excellent. Each participant was tutored according to their needs and were treated with patience and the necessary time required for each trainee.
Fun, easy going class
Posted by Unknown on 7th Jun 2012
slow paced and easy to follow. Everyone, including myself seemed to enjoy the laid back atmosphere. Chatting and laughing….pizza, coffee, oh and shooting! fun! 5 stars! Thanks Janice, I learned alot and had fun doing it. 8 hours flew by!
Puyallup Location:
Wonderful class.
Posted by Unknown on 14th Aug 2012
Being able to physically hold and manipulate the guns before going to the range really helped me learn. A rifle/shotgun class would be wonderful to expand my knowledge.
Realy good class.
Posted by lp on 14th Aug 2012
The camaraderie was great; put us at ease and able to comprehend the information. The firing range was a little too hot, however, I still gave the class a (5) because it was so good.
Very informative and useful
Posted by Trina on 14th Aug 2012
The instruction was awesome! The firing range was so hot and stuffy that it made me nauseous. Otherwise, I would have given the class 5 stars 😦
Excellent Instructors!
Posted by Unknown on 14th Aug 2012
Great class. I really enjoyed the Basics, and hands on portion of the class.
Very good class.
Posted by Unknown on 14th Aug 2012
Instructors were very hands on-took the time to make sure everyone had an understanding.
Too Hot!
Posted by Diane on 14th Aug 2012
Great class, except the shooting portion was too hot.
It was too hot to shoot!
Posted by MP on 14th Aug 2012
This is an excellent class, but the temperature in the range was too hot. A lot of great safety tips. The classroom was air conditioned, and the curriculum and the teachers were awesome. I would have given it a (5), except for the temperature in the range.
Great class!
Posted by ac on 14th Aug 2012
The information in this class was informative and easy to understand. The instructor’s were very helpful, and spent a lot of one on one time with all the students. I would definitely recommend this class. The shooting was really fun!
Awesome teaching crew!
Posted by Unknown on 14th Aug 2012
The instructor’s conduct was professional and helpful. Safety was first and foremost during the class. Step by step clear definition.
Thanks for a great day!
Posted by JM on 14th Aug 2012
I love the fact it was all women. Instructors were friendly and very helpful! Also, I like have the guest man there for advice, too. Need AC in the range!
Tuesday, August 14th, 2012 | Posted by Jim W. Dean
Citizen Shooter Saves Officer with Amazing Shooting
A 66 Year Old Texan Vic Stacey Puts Four 357 Magnum Pistol Rounds into a Killer Rifleman at 165 Yards
“Any man in combat who lacks comrades who will die for him, or for whom he is willing to die, is not a man at all. He is truly damned.” …author/historian William Manchester, USMC, Goodbye Darkness.
Charles Ronald Conner got into a dispute with a neighbor about his dogs. By the time it was over, the dogs, the neighbor and his girlfriend were all dead, shot with Conner’s 9mm.
Conner then grabbed a lever action, scoped 30-30 rifle and took up a position to add a few of the responding police officers to the bad day he was having.
Sgt. Means, the first responding officer, despite his having an AR-15 was pinned down in a bad position.
Despite the distance Vic Stacey knew he had to take the clear right flank shot that he had with his 5″ barrel 357 magnum. Vic estimated he was 165 yards out.
But as you are about to hear, that was not a problem for ole Vic.
His first round got the double murderer in the thigh and put him down, but the guy amazingly chambered another round and got a shot off at Vic that almost got him. Vic fired four more times, got four more hits as the officer got the range and finally killed the shooter.
This video is a slice of Texas. What do I mean by that? Well, most people who have pistols, even those who are really good, I don’t know a soul that can shoot accurately at that range. Heck, I don’t even know anyone who has even has even practiced at that range.
But we know Mr. Vic Stacey has. As the saying goes, owning a gun, and being able to use it are two entirely different things.
We have readers who may think that I am glorifying the taking of a life with this piece. They just don’t get it, because it is just the opposite.
Any of you combat vets out there who have had your butts pulled out of what you thought was a one way ticket to hell, due to the shooting skill of a buddy or a stranger, you know exactly what I mean.
This is a riddle. The name is Peter Pace. I will let you figure the rest out.
Gordon ‘gets it’, because he got it. One day in Nam he got caught as the last man out during a pull back.
He found himself in a French colonial cemetery behind a grave stone that an NVA 50 cal gun crew was methodically mowing the top down to their ultimate prize…his head.
USMC – APC
Out of the blue an APC pulled up beside him, the shirtless driver popped out the top and assumed a three point firing position with his carbine and engaged the 50 cal crew. You all know that he was successful, and I can share with you that Gordon had the pleasure of meeting him years later.
Glorifying the saving of some lives by skilled marksmanship?…you bet your behinds we glorify it, and always will. Time now for Vic to fill you in on the details.
And yes, the shooter killed two people because their dogs were pooping in his yard. He had a clean record, but obviously some coping problems. And as more Americans find themselves living in RV parks we may see more senseless killings like this.
Last I heard was that even if a magnum round did not kill you, the shock alone would take you out of action. This bad guy was one tough character, or the magnums lose their punch at that range.
The wrap on this story is they had the right man, in the right place, at the right time, with the right skills.
Sheriff Grubbs commended the assisting resident for his actions. Law enforcement has determined that the resident acted valiantly and perhaps saved the lives of Sgt. Means and responding deputies, Grubbs said.
“His actions may have also saved the lives of other citizens who could have innocently walked into the situation. Under fire, the resident shooter returned fire at precisely the right moment. One of the rounds struck Conner in the thigh and staggered Conner as he turned fire on Sgt. Means,” said Grubbs.
“This staggered Conner from having an effective aim as Conner fired upon Sgt. Means. This also enabled Sgt. Means to accurately return fire on Conner.”
